Jun.30 (GMM) F1’s attention will return to the Strategy Group on Wednesday.
Six weeks ago, as the sport’s main protagonists insisted formula one must turn a corner, the group met and voted on a package.
But, since then, it has become clear that the proposed changes are not ready to be pushed to the World Motor Sport Council, while some have been scrapped altogether.
And most of the changes were for 2017 anyway.
“Drivers are not happy, the public is noticing and they (the audience) are leaving F1,” McLaren team boss Eric Boullier warned.
And Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn predicts that “fans will not accept another two years with these (sorts of) races”.
A push to hand a mandate to Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt is rising, but the latter – the FIA president – has declared that F1 has a “headache, not cancer”.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner disagrees.
“We need to have progress tomorrow,” he said at a Red Bull event on Tuesday, referring to Wednesday morning’s next meeting of the Strategy Group in London.
“It’s an important meeting for the credibility of the group,” Horner added.
He admitted he will table his proposal that a figure like Ross Brawn, experienced but a fresh set of impartial eyes, should be drafted in, as he believes F1 has reached a “critical” point.
“What do we want formula one to be?” Horner said rhetorically. “Is it purely a technical exercise or does it need to be entertainment?
“I think fundamentally formula one is still a fantastic product, it still has an enormous fan base and appeal, I just think we’re not putting on a particularly great show at the moment.”